Introduction to Jaguars

The Isle of Wight Zoo has two female jaguars. Both of these individuals were offered sanctuary when the zoo was notified that they were desperately in need of a permanent home.

Jaguars are the third largest members of the Panthera genus of cats. They share a common ancestry with leopards and evolved, in Eurasia, over two million years ago. They are now restricted to occupying the Americas where they exist as the top predators. Although jaguars climb with ease, they spend the majority of their time on the ground. Unlike many members of the cat family, jaguars are fond of swimming and will often set up their territories along side watercourses. The dappled markings on the jaguars coat acts as excellent camouflage in dense forest, which is their preferred habitat.

This species was still found in some of the southern states of North America until the early part of the last century. Nowadays, their range has been condensed to areas of Central and South America only. Although protected as a species, jaguars continue to struggle against removal of habitat and direct killing.

Find out more about Jaguars.